I propose the patch below, which adds the --to option as a synonym for --destination-directory, to the programs cp, ln, install, and mv.
I think it's easier to remember (and say) something like mv --to MYDIR myfile hisfile theirfile than with the current long option. I hereby assign the copyright for this patch to the Free Software Foundation. - Jim Van Zandt --- ../coreutils-7.4.orig/src/cp.c 2009-04-24 08:50:28.000000000 -0400 +++ src/cp.c 2009-08-28 21:12:00.000000000 -0400 @@ -125,6 +125,7 @@ {"suffix", required_argument, NULL, 'S'}, {"symbolic-link", no_argument, NULL, 's'}, {"target-directory", required_argument, NULL, 't'}, + {"to", required_argument, NULL, 't'}, {"update", no_argument, NULL, 'u'}, {"verbose", no_argument, NULL, 'v'}, {GETOPT_HELP_OPTION_DECL}, @@ -201,7 +202,8 @@ fputs (_("\ -s, --symbolic-link make symbolic links instead of copying\n\ -S, --suffix=SUFFIX override the usual backup suffix\n\ - -t, --target-directory=DIRECTORY copy all SOURCE arguments into DIRECTORY\n\ + -t, --to=DIRECTORY, --target-directory=DIRECTORY copy all SOURCE arguments\n\ + into DIRECTORY\n\ -T, --no-target-directory treat DEST as a normal file\n\ "), stdout); fputs (_("\ --- ../coreutils-7.4.orig/src/install.c 2009-04-24 08:59:06.000000000 -0400 +++ src/install.c 2009-08-28 21:12:53.000000000 -0400 @@ -157,6 +157,7 @@ {"strip-program", required_argument, NULL, STRIP_PROGRAM_OPTION}, {"suffix", required_argument, NULL, 'S'}, {"target-directory", required_argument, NULL, 't'}, + {"to", required_argument, NULL, 't'}, {"verbose", no_argument, NULL, 'v'}, {GETOPT_HELP_OPTION_DECL}, {GETOPT_VERSION_OPTION_DECL}, @@ -980,7 +981,8 @@ -s, --strip strip symbol tables\n\ --strip-program=PROGRAM program used to strip binaries\n\ -S, --suffix=SUFFIX override the usual backup suffix\n\ - -t, --target-directory=DIRECTORY copy all SOURCE arguments into DIRECTORY\n\ + -t, --to=DIRECTORY, --target-directory=DIRECTORY copy all SOURCE arguments\n\ + into DIRECTORY\n\ -T, --no-target-directory treat DEST as a normal file\n\ -v, --verbose print the name of each directory as it is created\n\ "), stdout); --- ../coreutils-7.4.orig/src/ln.c 2009-04-24 08:41:19.000000000 -0400 +++ src/ln.c 2009-08-28 21:13:53.000000000 -0400 @@ -103,6 +103,7 @@ {"interactive", no_argument, NULL, 'i'}, {"suffix", required_argument, NULL, 'S'}, {"target-directory", required_argument, NULL, 't'}, + {"to", required_argument, NULL, 't'}, {"symbolic", no_argument, NULL, 's'}, {"verbose", no_argument, NULL, 'v'}, {GETOPT_HELP_OPTION_DECL}, @@ -383,8 +384,8 @@ "), stdout); fputs (_("\ -S, --suffix=SUFFIX override the usual backup suffix\n\ - -t, --target-directory=DIRECTORY specify the DIRECTORY in which to create\n\ - the links\n\ + -t, --to=DIRECTORY, --target-directory=DIRECTORY specify the DIRECTORY\n\ + in which to create the links\n\ -T, --no-target-directory treat LINK_NAME as a normal file\n\ -v, --verbose print name of each linked file\n\ "), stdout); --- ../coreutils-7.4.orig/src/mv.c 2009-05-03 16:05:34.000000000 -0400 +++ src/mv.c 2009-08-28 20:55:47.000000000 -0400 @@ -62,6 +62,7 @@ {"strip-trailing-slashes", no_argument, NULL, STRIP_TRAILING_SLASHES_OPTION}, {"suffix", required_argument, NULL, 'S'}, {"target-directory", required_argument, NULL, 't'}, + {"to", required_argument, NULL, 't'}, {"update", no_argument, NULL, 'u'}, {"verbose", no_argument, NULL, 'v'}, {GETOPT_HELP_OPTION_DECL}, @@ -304,7 +305,8 @@ -S, --suffix=SUFFIX override the usual backup suffix\n\ "), stdout); fputs (_("\ - -t, --target-directory=DIRECTORY move all SOURCE arguments into DIRECTORY\n\ + -t, --to=DIRECTORY, --target-directory=DIRECTORY move all SOURCE arguments\n\ + into DIRECTORY\n\ -T, --no-target-directory treat DEST as a normal file\n\ -u, --update move only when the SOURCE file is newer\n\ than the destination file or when the\n\ --- ../coreutils-7.4.orig/doc/coreutils.texi 2009-05-05 17:24:31.000000000 -0400 +++ doc/coreutils.texi 2009-08-28 21:22:37.000000000 -0400 @@ -552,8 +552,10 @@ @macro optTargetDirectory @item -t @var{directory} @itemx @w...@kbd{--target-directory}=@var{directory}} +...@itemx @w...@kbd{--to}=@var{directory}} @opindex -t @opindex --target-directory +...@opindex --to @cindex target directory @cindex destination directory Specify the destination @var{directory}. @@ -1195,11 +1197,13 @@ In the opposite situation, where you want the last operand to be treated as a directory and want a diagnostic otherwise, you can use -the @option{--target-directory} (@option{-t}) option. +the @option{--target-directory} (@option{--to}, @option{-t}) option. @item -t @var{directory} @itemx @w...@kbd{--target-directory}=@var{directory}} +...@itemx @w...@kbd{--to}=@var{directory}} @opindex --target-directory +...@opindex --to @cindex target directory @cindex destination directory Use @var{directory} as the directory component of each destination @@ -1221,7 +1225,7 @@ shell command, but that requires more human labor and brain power than it should.) -The @w...@kbd{--target-directory}} (@option{-t}) option allows the @command{cp}, +The @w...@kbd{--target-directory}} (@option{--to}, @option{-t}) option allows the @command{cp}, @command{install}, @command{ln}, and @command{mv} programs to be used conveniently with @command{xargs}. For example, you can move the files from the current directory to a sibling directory, @code{d} like this: @@ -1254,7 +1258,7 @@ @end table @noindent -The @option{--target-directory} (@option{-t}) and +The @option{--target-directory} (@option{--to}, @option{-t}) and @option{--no-target-directory} (@option{-T}) options cannot be combined. @@ -7218,7 +7222,8 @@ second. @item -If the @option{--target-directory} (@option{-t}) option is given, or +If the @option{--target-directory} (@option{--to}, @option{-t}) option +is given, or failing that if the last file is a directory and the @option{--no-target-directory} (@option{-T}) option is not given, @command{cp} copies each @var{source} file to the specified directory, @@ -7962,7 +7967,8 @@ second. @item -If the @option{--target-directory} (@option{-t}) option is given, or +If the @option{--target-directory} (@option{--to}, @option{-t}) option +is given, or failing that if the last file is a directory and the @option{--no-target-directory} (@option{-T}) option is not given, @command{install} copies each @var{source} file to the specified @@ -8132,7 +8138,8 @@ second. @item -If the @option{--target-directory} (@option{-t}) option is given, or +If the @option{--target-directory} (@option{--to}, @option{-t}) +option is given, or failing that if the last file is a directory and the @option{--no-target-directory} (@option{-T}) option is not given, @command{mv} moves each @var{source} file to the specified @@ -8714,7 +8721,8 @@ in the current directory. @item -If the @option{--target-directory} (@option{-t}) option is given, or +If the @option{--target-directory} (@option{--to}, @option{-t}) option +is given, or failing that if the last file is a directory and the @option{--no-target-directory} (@option{-T}) option is not given, @command{ln} creates a link to each @var{target} file in the specified